Obama Captures 9th Win in a Row, Increasing Momentum

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Barack Obama’s race to the Democratic nomination has only been helped by John McCain’s firm frontrunner status. In poll after poll, results say that Obama has a better chance of beating almost-sure Republican nominee McCain than Hilary Clinton.

And after his ninth win in a row in the primaries, Obama has become the one to beat on the Democratic side of the aisle.

This fact was reflected during a televised speech by Clinton after the Wisconsin results came in, when she was cut off mid-sentence as cameras turned instead to Obama in another location. Political pundits say this was not entirely accidental. When Hillary failed to acknowledge Obama’s victory, his camp decided to tell him to go ahead and begin his own speech.

In addition, McCain seems to have decided that Obama has become the leading Democrat by referring in his own victory speech to his opponent’s "eloquent but empty promise of change," without even mentioning Clinton.

Obama’s momentum has begun to steadily pick up voters previously thought to be in the pocket of Clinton: women, union workers, those in lower-income brackets. In fact, voters supporting Obama seem to come from every demographic: young, old, black, white, educated, rich, poor.

Clinton must win both Ohio and Texas in order to even stay in the race. And while she had previously shown solid leads in the two states, whose primaries will happen on March 4th, those leads are rapidly shrinking. Some polls now show that Obama has the lead.

Political experts say that several factors are responsible for the turnaround for the Democratic candidates.

First, as Obama began to win primaries and caucuses, the perception of him as being "unelectable" changed. Once voters saw that he was, indeed, winning, they got behind him.

Second, the emergence of McCain on the Republican side as the go-to candidate ended up helping Obama. With a McCain/Clinton race, pollsters predicted a close race ending in a tie. The two are seen as being too similar, say some, with voters on both sides accusing them each of being too far to the "other" side. Liberal Democrats find Hillary Clinton too conservative and too politically motivated. Conservative Republicans, who only support McCain by a ratio of 4 out of 10, find him too liberal and too eager to make friends with the Democrats.

In a race where McCain and Clinton are seen as both being too close to the middle for many voters in their parties, the likability factor comes into play, and there McCain has the advantage.

Both parties are determined to have the candidate who can win the election later this year. Old worries about Clinton not being able to win have resurfaced with her string of recent defeats.

Obama, on the other hand, is charismatic and likable, and his message is starting to get through. Voters on both sides have said they are desperate for a change in Washington come November, and Obama has "change" written all over him.

The race is still too close to call, but it would seem that Obama is edging ahead. The upcoming primaries in Texas and Ohio loom large, and it may be these two states that ultimately end up deciding who the Democratic candidate will be come November.